Spring wheel mounting for automotive vehicles



July 4, 1939. A. Kul-:HN 164,413

SPRING WHEELMOUNTING FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES Fl'iled Aug. 13,' 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet l I' BYORZ M Mz, 7L

ATTORN EYS July 4, 1939.

A. KUEHN SPRING WHEEL MOUNTING FOR AUTOMOTIV VEHICLES Filed Aug. 13, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY July 4, 1939.

A. KUEHN SPRING WHEEL MOUNTING FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES v Filed Aug. 13, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR WLM, WM/lf/M ATTQRNEY Patented July 4, 1939` UNITED STATES SPRING WHEEL MOUNTING FOR AUTOMO- TIVE VEHICLES Alfred Kuehn, Wauwatosa, Wis.

Application August 13, 1936, Serial No. 95,725 In Germany August 1 4, 1935 2 Claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a spring wheel mounting for automotive vehicles and new driving connections to wheels so mounted.

This invention consists of the mounting of spring wheels on vehicles such as automobiles, motorcycles, motor trucks, etc. It may also be used on airplanes, bicycles, etc. Its main object is to hold the unsprung weight of a vehicle as V low as possible.

I have shown several alternative ways of sus pending the wheels on the vehicle. In the rst Case the wheel is mounted on a single or double crank, as per' Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. In the second case the wheel is mounted on a hollow shaft, as per Figs. 6 and 7. In either case the axis around which the Wheels turn is eccentrically mounted on a shaft or stud (solid or hollow), and there is a spring arrangement provided between the eccentrically mounted shaft and the frame of the vehicle so that the wheels can swing around the eccentrically mounted wheel or shaft and change their position in regard to the rest of the vehicle by overcoming the spring tension, so that the .5 swinging mass is practically reduced to the wheels only.

In the drawings:

Figure lis a side elevation of a wheel mounting for the rear wheel of a motorcycle, a portion of i0 the frame and a portion of the tire and rim of the rear wheel being shown.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and showing the spokes of the wheel and omitting the drive chain therefrom.

;5 Figure 3 is a side elevation of the articulated driving connections and showing in dotted lines the development of movement of the parts in intermediate and maximum positions of oscillation during the springing movement of the L0 parts.

Figure 4 is a view of an alternative construction comparable to that shown in Fig. 2, but with especially designed parts for gear rather than chain drive.

L5 Figure 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing an alternative form of linkage in the articulated driving connections.

Figure 6 is a View similar to Fig. 2, but showing a wheel bearing of alternative design for use with 50 my spring mounting and rigid driving connections.

Figure '7 shows a structure comparable to that set forth in Fig. 5, but with an alternative wheel and brake mounting designed for shaft driven 55vrather than chain driven Wheels.

(Cl. ISO-30) Like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

As installed in a motorcycle as illlustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 6, the wheel III to which power is applied is'mounted between the members II and 5 I2 comprising what is commonly termed a rear fork of the motorcycle frame. The rearwardly extended terminal portions I3 and I4 of the members II and I2, respectively, are equipped to receive and rigidly hold studs I5 and I6 which com- 10 prise mounting posts for a crank-like structure including collars II and I8, and crank-arms I9 and 28.

An axle pin 2| connects thecrank'arms I9 and 20, and by reason of the threaded connection of the pin with the crank arm tends to draw the crank arms together. A tubular sleeve 2 I8 placed between the crank arms and concentric with the pin determines the spacing of the crank arms and comprises the actual axle for the wheel IU 20.

with its spokes 22 and hub 23, the usual anti-friction bearings 24 being provided for the mounting of the hub 23 upon the bearing sleeve k2li).

. With the structure thus far described, there 1s nothing to prevent the crank arms I9- and 2i] 25 assuming a vertical position when a load is placed upon the frame fork I I, I2, and it is with one portion of my invention, to-wit, the spring suspension, that the control of the spring movement of these crank arms I9 and 20 is concerned, as fol- 30.

lows:

Spring suspension Since the spring controlled movement of the crank arms I9 and 28 ranges between maximum 355- upper and lower positions'of the crank arms, I have so devised my new spring structure that when the vehicle equipped with my invention is heavily loaded, the crank arms are approximately horizontal, as shown in the drawings, and the Weight load is supported in this position of the parts by spring 25 which is seated upon a spring saddle 26 against which it is compressed by the action of a chain 2'I and chain post 28 provided with a cap washer 29 and adjusting nuts 30. The spring saddle 26 and the spring saddle 33 hereinafter referred to form a unit which Ais rigidly mounted on the face of the fork I2 and stud I5 and stud 260- prevent the rotation thereof 50 chainV 21 is guided by a tubular guide member 55 32 which is formed as a part of the spring saddle 26.

The spring saddle 26 is shaped not only to receive the abutment of the weight controlling spring 25, but is also provided at 33 with a seat for recoil spring 34 which likewise has a chain post 35 and adjusting nuts 36 with cap washer 31. Chain post 35 is secured to the end of chain 21 opposite the end to which the chain post 28 is secured. With this structure the chain 21 upon its sprocket 3| controls recoil following the spring action of weight controlling spring 25.

Since the sprocket 3| is concentric with the stud I5, and the axis of the wheel I0 is in crank relation to the stud I5, any load upon the frame and fork will tend to cause the sprocket 3| to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction as seen in Figure 1. Since the chain 21 upon the sprocket 3| is restrained by the compression springs 25 and 34, any tendency of the load to rotate the sprocket 3| in a counter-clockwise direction is resisted by spring 25, and when the load is relieved spring 34 tends to check the recoil.

With the structure thus far disclosed, it is apparent-that I have provided a spring suspension fora vehicle wheel wherein the wheel itself is mounted from theframe for crank-like motion and such crank-like motion is controlled by springs which operate-horizontally and it will be noted from the above description that with a normal load, less than maximum, the crank arms I9, 20 will normally extend downwardly and backwardly from the axle pin I5, I6, thus tending to ease the load over obstructions in the road.

Power application TheY transmission of power to a wheel I0 mounted upon an axle to be moved in a cranklike motion under the resilient control of springs of a tire or for any otherV repair operations which,

wouldbe facilitated by the removal of the wheel from its position between the forkmembers I I, I2... I mount upon the wheelhub 23, a driven disc` 48. Iy mountv upon collar I8 a drum-likemember 4I which comprises in the one element a sprocket with teeth 42 to receive a driving chain 43, a driving plate 44; and means against which anl expanding.l braker band 45 may be adjusted ,to accomplisna braking action.

Between the driving plate 44 and thedriven disc 40, I" provide articulated linkage 46, 41, 48, each of the articulated linkage members being composed of two elements with fork connections. Theoretically, I could provide each of the linkage elements 46, 41, 48 in the form of straight, rigid connecting rods. However, since absolute accuracy of machining and identical construction of parts iscommercially impossible because of high cost, I have found that articulated links are acceptable mechanically and accomplish my purposewhicnuis the transmittal of power from the plateY 44, to the plate 40 and its wheel I0.

Therarticulatedlinks 46, 41 and 48, when in tension, extend between centers represented by pinsr49and 56, which arevseparated a distance substantially identical with the distance between the pins.I5'-I6l and-axle pin 2|. It is thus possibleftohavethe links 46, 41 and 48 swing in the same plane, andrby articulatingv the links 46, 41 and 48 I allow for any mechanicalirregularity in their construction or in any looseness of the bearings and as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3, the links are sufficiently flexible to accommodate any crank movement of the wheel axis since the springs 25 and 34 alternatively yield for load or recoil, respectively.

t will be understood, of course, that the plate 44 and its integral hub are mounted for free rotation upon collar I8 and suitable bearing surfaces therebetween may be provided.

In the construction shown in Fig. 6, the eccentricity ofmounting of the wheel I0 is carried out in an enlarged axle collar 66 upon which a large wheelhub 6| is mounted with proper antifriction bearings 62. The axle hub is rigidly secured to a crank support 63 by means of a bolt 68. The crank 63 is formed integrally with a sprocket collar 64 which is integral with sprocket 55 upon which the spring chain 21 operates in much the same manner that the spring chain 21 heretofore described operates in the structure shown in Figs. l and'Z.

In this construction a single. axle pin 66y extends between the fork members II and I 2, andthe driven member in this construction may comprise merely a flange 61 forming part of the wheel hub 6|, the flange 61 forming the point ofv attachment for the pinsA upon which the driving links are mounted.

Gear and shaft drives In Figs. 4 and '7, I have shown an axle mount-Y ing spring suspension and driving connections for a wheel forming part of a vehicle having aframe 16. a shaft and gearing and in Fig. 'l'v the drive to the wheel is through a shaft.

In Fig. 4, the wheel II) is mounted uponan axle 1I formed as a part of acrank. construction including a radial element 12 and a main shaft 13. The main shaft is provided with chain sprocket 3|, springv chain 2.1, and the type ofv spring construction heretofore described.

The driving connections include a driven plate 4I) and a driving disc 44 as heretofore described,

with their connecting articulated, links 46, but the power to the drivingV disc 4.4fis received from a shaft 14, and a pinion 1 5` thereon, meshed with a gear 16 mountedV for, rotation with the hub 11 upon which the driving disc 44:,is mounted, thus carrying the power connections through to the wheel as willbe readily understood from the previous description. v

In Figure 1 I have shown a wheel- Iimounted upon an axle collar -ras described withrespect to Fig. 6 and power connections are transmitted to the wheel Il] by means of -a shaft 8|) extending through a xedhub 8| to the. driving discf44. Driving disc 44 rotates positively with the shaft 86 .and is provided with;linkage 82. Preferably the brake drum 83V and brake bar -acting-thereon are placed as shown in Fig. '1 somewhatY spaced from the wheel mounting. It will be noted that by constructing the wheel mounting as shown in Fig. 7, a straight shaft drive ispossible whereas with the crank as illustrated in Fig. 4, the drive necessitates the gearr transmission as there illustrated.

In the construction shown in Fig. 5, I'have shown a spring mounting and a crank support for the wheel comparable to thatshown in Fig. 4, but I have'shown no powerdrivingconnections. I have shown a brake drumlSEl-whch in=this in- In Fig. 4 the drive to the wheelis through stance is driven bythe wheel itself through driv- 75 ing links 9| which are flexible and can adjust themselves to required lengths automatically without toggle or complicated linkage.

Shock absorbers The application of shock absorbing means to my new wheel and spring suspension may be accomplished as shown in Fig. 2 with the application of friction means 95 between collars opposite the web of sprocket 3|, the friction means being squeezed by a spring 96. In Fig. 4 I have indicated merely diagrammatically a housing 91 for a hydraulic shock absorber to be actuated by and constitute a control for the main shaft 13.

From the above description it will be seen that as the weight upon the studs I5-I6 forces them downwardly in spring controlled oscillation about the wheel aXle 2 I, the application of power to the sprocket 42 causes the rotation of the wheel IIJ to which the power is transmitted by means of the articulated driving connections which, although swinging in the same plane as shown clearly in Figure 2 do not pass one another as shown clearly in Figure 3 and may oscillate as shown in dotted lines in Figure 3 during the course of their movement.

I claim:

l. In a motorcycle wheel suspension, a forked frame member, a crank-shaped axle across the arms of the fork and provided with a sprocket integral with the crank, a wheel mounted upon the crank for eccentric movement with respect to the axis of the crank mounting in the frame, a chain about said sprocket and provided with chain ends reciprocable in accord with oscillations of the sprocket, a spring saddle upon the frame, a compression spring mounted on said saddle and connected with one of the chain ends wherebyr to compress the spring in the oscillationy of the sprocket.

2. In a motorcycle wheel suspension, a forked frame member, a crank-shaped axle across the arms of the fork and provided with a sprocket integral with the crank, a wheel mounted upon the crank for eccentric movement with respect to the axis of the crank mounting in the frame, a chain about said sprocket and provided with chain ends reciprocable in accord with oscillations of the sprocket, a spring saddle upon the frame, a compression spring mounted on said saddle and connected with one of the chain ends whereby to compress the spring in the oscillation of the sprocket, a driving member mounted for rotation upon the axis of the frame, a driven member for rotation with the axle and linkage between said members whereby to provide power connection between the said members despite eccentric oscillations of the wheel under control of said spring.

ALFRED KUEI-IN. 

